Woman Jailed for Microwaving Kitten

A court case out of England is pretty awful on all fronts: A judge sentenced a 23-year-old woman to 14 weeks in jail because she put her kitten in the microwave as punishment, reports the BBC. The 4-month-old cat initially survived the minute-long ordeal but died what vets said was probably a terrible death within two hours, reports Metro. And what did it do to deserve the punishment? The cat's owner, Laura Cunliffe, found her goldfish on the kitchen floor in pieces.

"This was an act of utterly horrendous cruelty on your part on an animal that, as far as I could see, had come to trust you and rely on you," said the judge in Barnsley. What's worse is that Cunliffe has a history of "psychotic depression," and a family member shouted, "She hasn't a clue," as she was being led away. Cunliffe set the microwave for 5 minutes but realized her mistake after a minute, removed the cat, and tried unsuccessfully to cool it down with water, reports the Irish Independent. The judge banned her from having pets for the rest of her life. (More animal cruelty stories.)